借 — how to write the kanji for “borrow”
借 (“borrow” and “rent”) is a JLPT N4 kanji taught in fourth grade in Japan. Its parts sit side by side: 亻 (“person”), strokes 1–2; 昔 (“once upon a time”), strokes 3–10, each finished before the next. Read shaku, it forms 借金 (“debt”), 借地 (“leased land”) and 借家 (“rented house”); the native reading ka-riru gives 借入金 (“loan”) and 借り入れ (“borrowing (money)”). Chinese reads it jiè, “to borrow”, at HSK 3.
- Strokes
- 10
- JLPT
- N4
- Radical
- 人 (“person”)
- On
- シャク
- Kun
- か·りる
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
- Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
- Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Vertical ㇑top rightdownwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑centerdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕centerrightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 10 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- シャク shaku
- Kun (native)
- か·りる ka-riru
- Meanings
- borrow; rent
- Read shaku
- 借金 借地 借家 貸借 賃借
- Read ka-riru
- 借入金 借り入れ 借りる 借り
- School year
- fourth grade
- Newspaper rank
- 932nd of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 차 cha
- Common words
- 13 in JMdict
Words with 借
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 借金 | しゃっきん shakkin | debt; loan |
| 借入金 | かりいれきん kariirekin | loan; loan payable |
| 借款 | しゃっかん shakkan | loan |
| 借り入れ | かりいれ kariire | borrowing (money) |
| 借地 | しゃくち shakuchi | leased land |
| 借りる | かりる kariru | to borrow; to rent |
| 借家 | しゃくや shakuya | rented house; house for rent |
| 借り | かり kari | borrowing; debt |
| 貸借 | たいしゃく taishaku | loan; debit and credit |
| 賃借 | ちんしゃく chinshaku | renting; rental |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Same parts:
JLPT N4, in list order: